Sean Couturier’s Second Half Surge Has Kept Flyers Within Playoff Reach

It’s a long shot, but there’s still a chance Flyers fans. As of right now, the Flyers sit five points back of the 2nd Wildcard Spot in the Eastern Conference with 16 games left to play. A playoff berth is not out of the question quite yet. One guy who has helped keep the Orange and Black a float late in the season is Flyers center Sean Couturier. His second half breakout is a big reason the Flyers are still in this thing.

It was a rough start to the 2018-2019 season for the man they call “Coots”. In the month of October, he tallied only four points, all of which were goals. In the months of November and December, he began to produce at the level many expected him too. He tallied 24 points, (10 goals,14 assists). However, that was just the tip of the iceberg for the 26 year old.

Over the past two months, the eight-year vet has been on absolute fire. Since January 1st, Couturier has put up a grand total of 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in a span of 28 games. Talk about a man on a mission. He doesn’t look like he plans on slowing down anytime soon either. On Sunday afternoon, Couturier tallied his 27th goal of the season, helping the Flyers defeat the first place New York Islanders by a final score of 4-1.

Scoring is just one of many strengths Couturier possesses. He also plays a major role defensively as he is often matched up against the opposing team’s top line. When referring to the Flyers top defensive forward, Couturier is the easy choice.

When referring to the Phoenix native, the word “workhorse” would be a good word to use. In the month of February, Couturier averaged 21:58 of ice time per game which was ranked first among all Flyers forwards.

He’s no stranger to special teams either. He’s used on both the power play and the penalty kill. Over the course of the season, Couturier has racked up 14 points on the power play, netting 6 goals and tallying 8 assists. It’s safe to say Couturier is used in many different situations. Without him, the Flyers probably wouldn’t have the slightest chance of making the playoffs.

Flyers fans are not the only ones who are high on Sean Couturier. Flyers Head Coach Scott Gordon also thinks pretty highly of him.

“He’s a 200 foot player. He’s valuable because of the fact he can produce and mostly at the same time play against the other teams top line and be effective, kill penalties, plays on the power-play, wins faceoffs. I mean there’s not much more you can ask for”.

If the Flyers want to have any chance of making the playoffs, it’s clear they’ll need their star center to keep tearing things up. Aside from Flyers goalie Carter hart, Sean Couturier has been the key component to the Flyers surge over the past few months.

The Flyers are back in action Wednesday night as they host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. As of right now, the Flyers sit five points back of the Second Wildcard Spot. Puck Drop is slated for 7:30PM.

As always, Lets Go Flyers!